Post your review here! (Fant4stic Four)

[psylockolussus]

My review:

Loved it! Best Fantastic Four film to date!

I watched this twice in a row. This is one of the few films that I did not know the general consensus from the critics before the seeing the film. I lowered my expectations because of people's thoughts about the final act which made me kinda sad. But this film being better the first three Fantastic Four films was given to me. Then when I saw the film....

Spoiler

I am gonna start with the things that I didn't like
-There was no title card at the start
-Sometimes, the pacing was a little off
-Doom's motivation in the film weren't really explored, like I wondered why he was like that. His thing with Sue wasn't really explored. No one mentioned him after the accident. The film suffered the moment he came back to Earth... I don't know if he was faking that he was weak so he could destroy the Earth? I wish we saw him alone at Planet Zero and what he went through for over a year.
-I didn't like the 1 year jump, I felt like it such a big time leap and yet it didn't feel like its been a year. Reed going rogue didn't make sense that much to me.
-For the last 30 minutes, things were happening so fast and things were kinda all over the place, like I wish Franklin Storm's death was executed better. Though all of these things got better in my second viewing.

However, before the 1 year jump.... it was all good. I really loved the science aspect of it and I liked the indie/intimate feel of the film. The Vfx only looked kinda poor during the final fight in Planet Zero but for the majority of the film, the VFX was decent.

Things I love
-I loved loved the lighting of the F in Fox's logo.. they took a cue from X-Men on that one!
-Thing's voice sound really good and I don't even know why they didn't showcase that in the trailer. I loved it when he said "its clobbering time"
-Sue is my favorite!!! Love her! Kate Mara is just an awesome actress! I really loved how she carried The Thing and Mister Fantastic inside her force field
-Reed is probably my second favorite and I loved what he said towards the end, that this is who they are and they just need to accept and the team dialogue at the end. Miles Teller was quite likable in this film. I also loved when he showcased his shapeshifting ability
-Michael B. Jordan was good too. But out of the four, he was the one that stood out to me the least. The VFX for his flame body was really good though.
-The scene at the end when they were thinking of their name was cute, there was something very likable about that scene.

Over-all, the film just misses something and it kinda doesn't feel complete to me. It wasn't as rewarding as X-Men Days of Future Past. Maybe if it was longer and Doom was explored more, it would have been complete to me. I also noticed a lot of things that were shown in the trailers didn't end up in the film (The Answers, Kate's laugh track, Johnny's heat resistance line, the shot of the four looking at the beam, Thing jumping out of the jet? I don't know if it was in the montage).

But the biggest accomplishment of this film is not only its the best Fantastic Four film to date, it didn't end up as a total mess. Its a very decent film. I think its probably as good as The Wolverine especially they shared the same problem during the final act. But the start of the film was really good and the accident was really good and intense, especially the scenes where we saw their abilities for the first time, insanely good! I hope Fox could turn this to an ongoing franchise like at least a trilogy, the cast has so much potential! This is already a big step up from the previous FF movies and I just liked the tone of it and how serious things were. It was fantastic!

First viewing: 7/5 out of 10
Second viewing: 8 out of 10

 

[Filmfan93]

Hmm, nice review. Although almost everyone else says it's terrible. And that doesn't make me want to go see it. Glad you enjoyed it though

 

[SyntaxError]

Quite possibly the first positive review i've read about this movie.

How did you manage to watch it twice in a row?

 

[psylockolussus]

I didn't want to wait three hours for the ticket that I bought the other day, so I bought an earlier one.

Hmm, nice review. Although almost everyone else says it's terrible. And that doesn't make me want to go see it. Glad you enjoyed it though

Yeah, the RT rating is terrible!

 

[SyntaxError]

But the film hasn't even opened yet? I thought it was just pre-screenings for selected audiences/critics and the Red Carpet premiere so far.

 

[Eddie]

But the film hasn't even opened yet? I thought it was just pre-screenings for selected audiences/critics and the Red Carpet premiere so far.

It's opened in some foreign markets.

 

[SyntaxError]

It's opened in some foreign markets.

Oh wow didn't know that. Thought 7th was initial release.

No wonder there are so many French negative reviews floating around.

 

[Keyser Soze]

With all the negativity surrounding the production from the earliest stages, I went into FANTASTIC FOUR hoping for a triumph over the odds. And in a perverse way, I guess it is, but not in the manner I'd hoped. See, with all the intense negativity surrounding this production from even the early stages, if there was one thing I didn't imagine would be possible, it was that FANTASTIC FOUR could possibly disappoint me. And yet, somehow, it did.

I'll try to explain. The most disarming thing about this is that, for the first 40 minutes or so, this is a freaking GREAT movie. Like, me open-mouthed stunned, sitting in the cinema thinking, "Oh my God, they pulled it off. This ultimate underdog has managed to silence the haters." Yes, the characters are mostly a bit younger than they should be. But scrape past that, and in that opening sequence, this is a film that just *gets* the Fantastic Four and what makes their characters and the relationship, on a deeper level than the previous films managed. The actors are all top-notch, and inhabit their roles so well, bringing the humanity to each of the key figures and cementing who they are before the powers hit them. Miles Teller is just great in the film, and for the first time on the screen they managed to nail that Reed Richards is the most fascinating character of all the four, and that it's not his stretchy powers that make him special, it's his incredible mind. And science, and the power of intelligence and future-thinking, is presented as being right at the forefront here in a way that's kinda inspiring. It felt like superhero storytelling laced with an INTERSTELLAR-style awe with the might of human potential.

Even this much-dreaded interpretation of Doom is handled so well at first. There's no computer hacker/blogger Victor Domashev: he's Victor Von Doom, from Latveria. And Toby Kebbell is leagues ahead of Julian McMahon's smarmy yuppie, and totally nails the character's motivations. He's all fragile ego and simmering jealousy towards Reed, his contempt for Richards' supposed lesser intelligence hiding an insecurity that Richards may be smarter than him. And yet still he finds himself starting to admire Reed and become friends with him in spite of himself, it's all handled so well. Sue's complicated protective relationship with Johnny, Ben feeling out of his depth amongst these intellectual heavyweights but having Reed's back no matter what, it's all touched on here. Even the origin itself is handled well, a skillful display of steadily escalating tension, with the heroes' transformations handled in a quite jarringly horrific "body horror" fashion that gave things a fresh new angle and totally made sense. And in terms of character focused origin-telling that makes these characters feel fleshed out and relevant, I genuinely thought Fox were on course to giving us a BATMAN BEGINS for the Fantastic Four, that's how good it was.

And then it falls apart.

I'll try not to get too much into spoilers, but I'll say there's a clear dividing line between what was a great film and what just turns into a mess: it's a black screen, with a caption reading, "ONE YEAR LATER." And everything after that, it's like a different director working from a different script. Suddenly, all that carefully built up momentum is gone. And you realise that all the stuff that was so beautifully set up in the first half of the film never gets adequately paid off. Toby Kebbell's great work is largely undone and Doom turns into a damp squib. And perhaps more unforgivably, the Fantastic Four themselves lose all their chemistry. Suddenly it's like there's no chemistry between them, to the point where they might as well have filmed their scenes separately and been green-screened together. We don't actually get to experience them becoming a team, just get told they are. The Thing in particular gets a bum deal here. Jamie Bell is actually really strong as Ben Grimm, selling his pained humanity and making his friendship with Reed the heart of the film. But he is never given a chance to really connect with anyone else in the cast or feel integral to their unit. Seriously, I think I could count the amount of dialogue exchanges between Ben/Johnny and Ben/Sue COMBINED in one hand, and have fingers left over.

Really, the back half of the film just feels so rushed, and therefore inconsequential, to the point where by the end of the film I didn't even think it was the end. As the film entered its final minutes, I was thinking maybe we'd seen a lackluster mid-film set-piece, and hoping that the film would be able to claw back its momentum for the finale after a sluggish middle. Then it just ends, and I'm like, "HUH?" I genuinely think so many people stayed waiting for an after-credits sequence (there isn't one) because of this shared feeling of, "That CAN'T be it." This is a very slender hour-and-a-half film.

Short version: FANTASTIC FOUR has a superb first act, an underwhelming second act, and no third act. Not a good structure to have at all.

So, that brings us back to the beginning, and disappointment. In a way, I'd have preferred for this to just be a steaming turd of a film. Then I could have just disengaged and laughed at how awful it was. Instead, there's so much good stuff here, and they come tantalisingly close to making a quality film. And the fact that they then spectacularly fumble the ball at the goal line makes the whole viewing experience that much more infuriating. The fact they did enough right to see the great movie they set the groundwork for but ended up not making. In the end, FANTASTIC FOUR is not a turkey, and given the hate this film has endured, that in itself is a sort of triumph. But ultimately, I'd classify FANTASTIC FOUR as a frustrating near-miss.

 

[psylockolussus]

I agree a lot with your review!

 

[Spitfire]

Saw the movie last night and thought it was ok. As we left, I heard a couple of people in the cinema saying it was much better than they expected as well.

The movie has its flaws and its not a classic CBM, but I don't think the harsh reviews on RT so far are justified imo. The things I liked included:

• Interdimensional travel scenes to planet Zero.
• The scenes after their 'accident' are very good.
• Portrayal of Sue Storms powers.
• The performances of the main cast were good.

I was surprised Doom didn't have as much screen time as I expected. The character had potential that simply wasn't utilized. The movie does lose momentum, and the final act seems rushed and I think a lot of material got cut from the movie. But it isn't the disaster many were expecting.

On a seperate note, this is the first movie where sharing my opinion on Twitter has resulted in nasty replies from other Marvel 'fans' . TBH, I think its one of those movies that will divide opinion and you need to see it for yourself and not rely on the opinions of others.

 

[Suzanne78]

With all the negativity surrounding the production from the earliest stages, I went into FANTASTIC FOUR hoping for a triumph over the odds. And in a perverse way, I guess it is, but not in the manner I'd hoped. See, with all the intense negativity surrounding this production from even the early stages, if there was one thing I didn't imagine would be possible, it was that FANTASTIC FOUR could possibly disappoint me. And yet, somehow, it did.

I'll try to explain. The most disarming thing about this is that, for the first 40 minutes or so, this is a freaking GREAT movie. Like, me open-mouthed stunned, sitting in the cinema thinking, "Oh my God, they pulled it off. This ultimate underdog has managed to silence the haters." Yes, the characters are mostly a bit younger than they should be. But scrape past that, and in that opening sequence, this is a film that just *gets* the Fantastic Four and what makes their characters and the relationship, on a deeper level than the previous films managed. The actors are all top-notch, and inhabit their roles so well, bringing the humanity to each of the key figures and cementing who they are before the powers hit them. Miles Teller is just great in the film, and for the first time on the screen they managed to nail that Reed Richards is the most fascinating character of all the four, and that it's not his stretchy powers that make him special, it's his incredible mind. And science, and the power of intelligence and future-thinking, is presented as being right at the forefront here in a way that's kinda inspiring. It felt like superhero storytelling laced with an INTERSTELLAR-style awe with the might of human potential.

Even this much-dreaded interpretation of Doom is handled so well at first. There's no computer hacker/blogger Victor Domashev: he's Victor Von Doom, from Latveria. And Toby Kebbell is leagues ahead of Julian McMahon's smarmy yuppie, and totally nails the character's motivations. He's all fragile ego and simmering jealousy towards Reed, his contempt for Richards' supposed lesser intelligence hiding an insecurity that Richards may be smarter than him. And yet still he finds himself starting to admire Reed and become friends with him in spite of himself, it's all handled so well. Sue's complicated protective relationship with Johnny, Ben feeling out of his depth amongst these intellectual heavyweights but having Reed's back no matter what, it's all touched on here. Even the origin itself is handled well, a skillful display of steadily escalating tension, with the heroes' transformations handled in a quite jarringly horrific "body horror" fashion that gave things a fresh new angle and totally made sense. And in terms of character focused origin-telling that makes these characters feel fleshed out and relevant, I genuinely thought Fox were on course to giving us a BATMAN BEGINS for the Fantastic Four, that's how good it was.

And then it falls apart.

I'll try not to get too much into spoilers, but I'll say there's a clear dividing line between what was a great film and what just turns into a mess: it's a black screen, with a caption reading, "ONE YEAR LATER." And everything after that, it's like a different director working from a different script. Suddenly, all that carefully built up momentum is gone. And you realise that all the stuff that was so beautifully set up in the first half of the film never gets adequately paid off. Toby Kebbell's great work is largely undone and Doom turns into a damp squib. And perhaps more unforgivably, the Fantastic Four themselves lose all their chemistry. Suddenly it's like there's no chemistry between them, to the point where they might as well have filmed their scenes separately and been green-screened together. We don't actually get to experience them becoming a team, just get told they are. The Thing in particular gets a bum deal here. Jamie Bell is actually really strong as Ben Grimm, selling his pained humanity and making his friendship with Reed the heart of the film. But he is never given a chance to really connect with anyone else in the cast or feel integral to their unit. Seriously, I think I could count the amount of dialogue exchanges between Ben/Johnny and Ben/Sue COMBINED in one hand, and have fingers left over.

Really, the back half of the film just feels so rushed, and therefore inconsequential, to the point where by the end of the film I didn't even think it was the end. As the film entered its final minutes, I was thinking maybe we'd seen a lackluster mid-film set-piece, and hoping that the film would be able to claw back its momentum for the finale after a sluggish middle. Then it just ends, and I'm like, "HUH?" I genuinely think so many people stayed waiting for an after-credits sequence (there isn't one) because of this shared feeling of, "That CAN'T be it." This is a very slender hour-and-a-half film.

Short version: FANTASTIC FOUR has a superb first act, an underwhelming second act, and no third act. Not a good structure to have at all.

So, that brings us back to the beginning, and disappointment. In a way, I'd have preferred for this to just be a steaming turd of a film. Then I could have just disengaged and laughed at how awful it was. Instead, there's so much good stuff here, and they come tantalisingly close to making a quality film. And the fact that they then spectacularly fumble the ball at the goal line makes the whole viewing experience that much more infuriating. The fact they did enough right to see the great movie they set the groundwork for but ended up not making. In the end, FANTASTIC FOUR is not a turkey, and given the hate this film has endured, that in itself is a sort of triumph. But ultimately, I'd classify FANTASTIC FOUR as a frustrating near-miss.

Keyser, really appreciate your honest review and opinion. I probably was going to just wait to rent it when it came out on Redbox... But not even sure I will do that?

 

[psylockolussus]

The movie has its flaws and its not a classic CBM, but I don't think the harsh reviews on RT so far are justified imo.

It also doesn't help that 3 of the 7 reviews counted on RT right now are from top critics... and top critics are usually the hardest to please.

 

[TalismanRing]

It also doesn't help that 3 of the 7 reviews counted on RT right now are from top critics... and top critics are usually the hardest to please.

Those are from the Trades and they're usually far easier on blockbusters than the majority of Top Critics.

 

[psylockolussus]

Those are from the Trades and they're usually far easier on blockbusters than the majority of Top Critics.

To be honest, I'm just having a hard time accepting that this would be the worst reviewed Marvel film ever since Elektra, 13%... then lower than Age of Extinction or those Resident Evil films? when the film had a strong 40 to 50 minutes (which is already 1/2 of the film) and the film had a strong cast. But we'll see in a few days if the score goes up. When I came out of theater, I was thinking mid 60s to early 70s, then 50s if the critics really hated it. But lower than the previous FF films? So frustrating.

EDIT: for my 2nd viewing, I clocked in where the 1-year later started. The film started in 2:50pm, the 1-year later started in 3:54pm and the last scene ended in 4:31pm... so good first 62 minutes versus a lackluster 30+ minutes. Ugh!

 

[Flint Marko]

To be honest, I'm just having a hard time accepting that this would be the worst reviewed Marvel film ever since Elektra, 14%... then lower than Age of Extinction or those Resident Evil films? when the film had a strong 40 to 50 minutes (which is already 1/2 of the film) and the film had a strong cast. But we'll see in a few days if the score goes up. When I came out of theater, I was thinking mid 60s to early 70s, then 50s if the critics really hated it. But lower than the previous FF films? So frustrating.

I've seen two or three mentions by people online who have seen the movie that it is indeed as bad or worse than the previous two. I'd have to see for myself to really be able to make that call, but it's at least something I've heard mentioned.

 

[Nokio]

Im not buying into this film because this what Fox does all the time with these films. I will not pay to see this and I hope it tanks. I actually enjoyed Ultimate F4, so when I heard Fox is going that route I didn't mind. However making unnecessary changes for no reasons i can think of is asinine. I can understand the need for changes to adapt the material for film but i just see no need for changes to the ultimate version cause its not 40 plus years of history. Doom looks to be garbage and from what i read he's not Doom at all but more Annihilaus, which is silly. The problems I have is stuff like changing Doom's name which i heard they went back and changed it to Von Doom. I was going to continue to rant but honestly why bother. It wont change anything and these conversations are always centered around Fox's comic films and their complete and utter disrespect of the source material. I don't expect comic films to be perfect comic to film translations and understand the need for making things adaptable for film but screw it. I'm over it and Fox will never get a penny of my money for a comic film of theirs. I swore off giving fox my money after X3 and i have stuck to that. Ill just buy a ticket for Antman and go see how much Fox screwed F4 if i even bother to go. Im just so upset about this cause I'm really a fan of F4 and always have been since I was a kid.

 

[Tim_Riggins]

Saw it and I think everything's been said.

Fox f**** the movie, I'm convinced of it. Keyser Soze pretty much nailed it, you can tell which part is Trank's movie (and a hint: it's actually solid) and which part the execs put their grubby hands on, some will say we're delusional, that Fox tried to save the movie or whatever, but it is clear as day.

The characters are there, they work, I'd only slightly disagree with Keyser on the 1 year later bit, I still think it holds up there all the way up to

Spoiler

Reed being found and brought in for the infamous third act

It's crazy because as I was watching the movie, for the first 30 min (not to say it sucks immediately after that, just that I was conscious of it), I was thinking that it was pretty good, I like the opening, I like seeing Reed & Ben as kids, the bond forming between them, all of that is good stuff.

You can feel the comradery very fast, Reed being brought in by Franklin Storm, him meeting Sue, I don't have much exposure to the comics but I thought Victor was handled well, the hacker stuff (he's not even one) read as silly on paper but it works.

I like them deciding to go on the trip on their own and giving a giant middle finger to the bureaucrats, the idea as Victor and Reed say to actually live their dream and not via proxy of someone else going for them, living a dream that is not their own. I like the look of planet zero.

And you can feel Trank's vision in those two great scenes when they come back of Reed crawling, etc, and then that "body horror" indeed of them post transformation, especially Reed all strapped up, in pain, unable to move, that's a really great scene, but like the rest of the whole movie, it's rushed, they don't let it breathe, you can feel the scissor hands at play in the editing room.

Trank was not fooling people when he talked about "The Fly", the Cronenberg feel, as if the movie would actually have a take, a real take on the FF, it's there, it just feels like Fox or execs, or Kinberg, or I don't know who, didn't trust him all the way.

But that first half (bit more than half I'd say) of the movie is promising, it's legit good, Miles (whom I love) is a great fit for Reed Richards, the chemistry between him, Bell, Mara and Jordan is there (even Kebbell, but he's really kind of an afterthought in the movie), the characters are there, that's why I believe that the people telling everyone to not go see the movie are wrong.

Don't reboot this again, the basics are there, it just needs to be handled more carefully (easy to say I know).

The rest of the movie is far more conventional, it feels so rushed, and basically, when the third act comes with all the action, with Victor being recovered (I dig his look by the way, pretty cool), it feels uneventful, unexciting, by the numbers, rushed, SO GODDAM RUSHEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

There's a nice moment when Doom start popping people's heads off (GEEZ ! Trank at play here) and makes a run for it, it's well done, it seems like another element of Trank's vision, then, they go on planet Zero for the final showdown and it's just so disappointing.

That action scene is where I felt Fox's execs hands all over it, the obligatory action sequence, the dramatic beats feel unearned for some reason, it's not exciting, it feels lazy, it feels like someone said to Trank "thank you for the good work, we'll take it from here", sure, Reed, Sue, Johnny & Ben come together as they should but Doom doesn't feel like a threat, it all feels too fast, too rushed, a CG fest.

Then, they come home and the sequel is set and they finally get their headquarters and come up with the name in a sort of cringe worthy moment (still works though). I'll be there for the sequel, just please, let the director's vision come through for the ENTIRE movie, not just 2 thirds of it.


Overall, I found the tone, described as dark by some, not at all like that, it just feels more realistic and grounded ala TASM in a way, the cast is good, the script I feel lets the movie down, not the first half, but precisely after that, it's like the dialogue becomes progressively uninspired, lazy, the CG work is very solid overall, the bad shots show up in the final showdown, even then, it's still okay. The movie looks good visually, the score is conventional.

6/10

 

[kguillou]

So, from what I'm hearing this movie is VERY comparable to The Wolverine. A good/great first half and then turns into a conventional studio superhero film in the second half and ruins the tone set up in the first half...is that accurate?

 

[Tim_Riggins]

That is very accurate in my opinion even though The Wolverine's third act is superior to FF's, for sure.

 

[ironman_rick]

Damn it... Fox should have just trusted Trank to do his movie........


And yes, the 1st 30 to 40 mins of this movie was pretty good (just below batman begins and ironman 1)

 

[Sleiek]

Hmmmm. I don't know. Some people seem to like it and I am trying to figure out if I'd like it if I see it.

 

[kedrell]

Damn it... Fox should have just trusted Trank to do his movie........

Well we don't know how Trank's version would have ended. It could have been even worse than what we ended up getting and FOX just desperately tried to fix it after the fact. Or it could be true that FOX execs are the culprits here who screwed this over. We just don't know. We probably never will either.

 

[kedrell]

With all the negativity surrounding the production from the earliest stages, I went into FANTASTIC FOUR hoping for a triumph over the odds. And in a perverse way, I guess it is, but not in the manner I'd hoped. See, with all the intense negativity surrounding this production from even the early stages, if there was one thing I didn't imagine would be possible, it was that FANTASTIC FOUR could possibly disappoint me. And yet, somehow, it did.

I'll try to explain. The most disarming thing about this is that, for the first 40 minutes or so, this is a freaking GREAT movie. Like, me open-mouthed stunned, sitting in the cinema thinking, "Oh my God, they pulled it off. This ultimate underdog has managed to silence the haters." Yes, the characters are mostly a bit younger than they should be. But scrape past that, and in that opening sequence, this is a film that just *gets* the Fantastic Four and what makes their characters and the relationship, on a deeper level than the previous films managed. The actors are all top-notch, and inhabit their roles so well, bringing the humanity to each of the key figures and cementing who they are before the powers hit them. Miles Teller is just great in the film, and for the first time on the screen they managed to nail that Reed Richards is the most fascinating character of all the four, and that it's not his stretchy powers that make him special, it's his incredible mind. And science, and the power of intelligence and future-thinking, is presented as being right at the forefront here in a way that's kinda inspiring. It felt like superhero storytelling laced with an INTERSTELLAR-style awe with the might of human potential.

Even this much-dreaded interpretation of Doom is handled so well at first. There's no computer hacker/blogger Victor Domashev: he's Victor Von Doom, from Latveria. And Toby Kebbell is leagues ahead of Julian McMahon's smarmy yuppie, and totally nails the character's motivations. He's all fragile ego and simmering jealousy towards Reed, his contempt for Richards' supposed lesser intelligence hiding an insecurity that Richards may be smarter than him. And yet still he finds himself starting to admire Reed and become friends with him in spite of himself, it's all handled so well. Sue's complicated protective relationship with Johnny, Ben feeling out of his depth amongst these intellectual heavyweights but having Reed's back no matter what, it's all touched on here. Even the origin itself is handled well, a skillful display of steadily escalating tension, with the heroes' transformations handled in a quite jarringly horrific "body horror" fashion that gave things a fresh new angle and totally made sense. And in terms of character focused origin-telling that makes these characters feel fleshed out and relevant, I genuinely thought Fox were on course to giving us a BATMAN BEGINS for the Fantastic Four, that's how good it was.

And then it falls apart.

I'll try not to get too much into spoilers, but I'll say there's a clear dividing line between what was a great film and what just turns into a mess: it's a black screen, with a caption reading, "ONE YEAR LATER." And everything after that, it's like a different director working from a different script. Suddenly, all that carefully built up momentum is gone. And you realise that all the stuff that was so beautifully set up in the first half of the film never gets adequately paid off. Toby Kebbell's great work is largely undone and Doom turns into a damp squib. And perhaps more unforgivably, the Fantastic Four themselves lose all their chemistry. Suddenly it's like there's no chemistry between them, to the point where they might as well have filmed their scenes separately and been green-screened together. We don't actually get to experience them becoming a team, just get told they are. The Thing in particular gets a bum deal here. Jamie Bell is actually really strong as Ben Grimm, selling his pained humanity and making his friendship with Reed the heart of the film. But he is never given a chance to really connect with anyone else in the cast or feel integral to their unit. Seriously, I think I could count the amount of dialogue exchanges between Ben/Johnny and Ben/Sue COMBINED in one hand, and have fingers left over.

Really, the back half of the film just feels so rushed, and therefore inconsequential, to the point where by the end of the film I didn't even think it was the end. As the film entered its final minutes, I was thinking maybe we'd seen a lackluster mid-film set-piece, and hoping that the film would be able to claw back its momentum for the finale after a sluggish middle. Then it just ends, and I'm like, "HUH?" I genuinely think so many people stayed waiting for an after-credits sequence (there isn't one) because of this shared feeling of, "That CAN'T be it." This is a very slender hour-and-a-half film.

Short version: FANTASTIC FOUR has a superb first act, an underwhelming second act, and no third act. Not a good structure to have at all.

So, that brings us back to the beginning, and disappointment. In a way, I'd have preferred for this to just be a steaming turd of a film. Then I could have just disengaged and laughed at how awful it was. Instead, there's so much good stuff here, and they come tantalisingly close to making a quality film. And the fact that they then spectacularly fumble the ball at the goal line makes the whole viewing experience that much more infuriating. The fact they did enough right to see the great movie they set the groundwork for but ended up not making. In the end, FANTASTIC FOUR is not a turkey, and given the hate this film has endured, that in itself is a sort of triumph. But ultimately, I'd classify FANTASTIC FOUR as a frustrating near-miss.

Thanks. I usually don't go in for big, long reviews like this but my curiosity won out this time. I actually want to watch the movie more now that I have a better idea of what I'm in for, though Interstellar comparisons won't add to my interest at all.

I do wonder if we'll ever know what would have been had FOX not stepped in. Would it have been even worse? Maybe. Maybe not. But not knowing will be the real tragedy as I hate unfinished puzzles.

 

[WormyT]

Im not buying into this film because this what Fox does all the time with these films. I will not pay to see this and I hope it tanks. I actually enjoyed Ultimate F4, so when I heard Fox is going that route I didn't mind. However making unnecessary changes for no reasons i can think of is asinine. I can understand the need for changes to adapt the material for film but i just see no need for changes to the ultimate version cause its not 40 plus years of history. Doom looks to be garbage and from what i read he's not Doom at all but more Annihilaus, which is silly. The problems I have is stuff like changing Doom's name which i heard they went back and changed it to Von Doom. I was going to continue to rant but honestly why bother. It wont change anything and these conversations are always centered around Fox's comic films and their complete and utter disrespect of the source material. I don't expect comic films to be perfect comic to film translations and understand the need for making things adaptable for film but screw it. I'm over it and Fox will never get a penny of my money for a comic film of theirs. I swore off giving fox my money after X3 and i have stuck to that. Ill just buy a ticket for Antman and go see how much Fox screwed F4 if i even bother to go. Im just so upset about this cause I'm really a fan of F4 and always have been since I was a kid.

You haven't seen Days of Future Past? Its a superb movie. I'd argue better than both Avengers movies.

 

[kedrell]

I'd say a it's supremely overrated but all in all still a decent movie.